The woman's husband, Cody Brawley, posted on Facebook that his wife Ashley became concerned when she smelled something burning in their living room; the candle had been lit for three and a half hours, according to the couple's Nest camera. Ashley ran in to discover that the candle had developed a six-inch flame, which she tried to extinguish by blowing on it.

Advertisement

"That didn't work," Cody wrote. "The candle made a huge flame from just trying to blow it out. The flame engulfed her face and hot wax splashed all over her face. It burnt her face and hair. She has 1st and 2nd degree burns."

Cody's post included a photo of poor Ashley, her face in bandages, recovering in the hospital. He added that although she was okay in the end, he wanted to post about the incident in case anyone else was using the same candle.

“I would’ve never imagine[d] in a million years that I would walk in and it would be in flames,” Ashley told NBC. “I’ll never use a candle again. Ever. I mean, it scared me.”

The couple explained that the explosion occurred despite following all of the candle's written instructions, such as keeping the wick trimmed. Bath & Body Works told NBC that the candle met all government and industry standards.

"We are very sorry that this happened and are taking this situation extremely seriously," the brand said in a statement. "The safety of our customers is our number one priority, and we are actively working to learn more details from the customer.